Preview

A Report on the over-Extraction of Groundwater in Queensland

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1941 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Report on the over-Extraction of Groundwater in Queensland
A REPORT ON THE OVER-EXTRACTION OF GROUNDWATER IN QUEENSLAND

Prepared for:
THE IDEAS SUMMIT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Due: 22 May 2013

Submitted: 22 May 2013

Prepared By: Katie Gray
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to focus on an aspect of environmental economics, namely over-extraction of groundwater in Queensland and provide and evaluate a possible solution for this issue.
Groundwater is a valuable resource which is not being protected in Queensland. Its preservation is dependent on climatic conditions and extraction rates. High extraction rates lead to irreversible damage to the volume of groundwater available for use.
Over-extraction of groundwater is a form of market failure as society’s economic and social goals are not being achieved – the future of the resource of groundwater is being jeopardised due to over-extraction. This is as a result of ill-defined property rights allowing people to over-exploit the resource without experiencing the negative consequences of their actions and information gaps regarding the severity of the issue causing the government to do little to resolve it.
To rectify this situation, there is a need for increased metering on Queensland bores and wells. This would supply the missing information needed to accurately gauge the severity of the issue. Once meters have been installed throughout Queensland, the government will be able to consider further action.
This report has evaluated the introduction of tradable permits to the legislation surrounding groundwater. It has considered the outcomes of a positive effect on the environment, and firm efficiency, however it has highlighted the fact that the introduction of tradable permits may have a negative effect on the competitiveness of firms.
This report is not a comprehensive analysis of the issue of over-extraction of groundwater in Queensland. It has presented the introduction of tradable permits as a possible solution, but the report recognises


Bibliography: Australian Natural Resources Atlas Natural Resource Topics, 2009 Water - Queensland - Water Resources Overview, Australian Government, accessed 12 May 2013, . Barron OV et al, 2011 Climate change impact on groundwater resources in Australia Cave, D et al., 2011, Economics for the Real World, Third edn, Pearson Australia, Melbourne. Dahlberg, E n.d. Tradable Pollution Permits as a Remedy for the Negative Externality, Stanford, accessed 1 May 2013, Kirkwood, L et al., 2009, Economics for the Real World, Second Edition edn, Pearson Heinemann, Melbourne. Plazinska, A, 2007, ‘Understanding Groundwater’, SCIENCE for DECISION MAKERS, p. 1, accessed 12 May 2013, Australian Government , Bureau of Rural Sciences.] Price Mechanism, 2013 The Economic Times, accessed 16 May 2013, . Sullivan, R, 2009, ‘Addressing our groundwater crisis’, www.ecomagazine.com, p. 1, accessed 12 May 2013, ECOS, CSRIO Waterlines report, National Water Commission, Canberra.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Big Mist By Charles Fishman Analysis
    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Big Mist By Charles Fishman Analysis

    Residents of Montgomery County in southeast Texas are completely unaware of their depleting aquifers, thanks to the leaders they elected who have neglected the issue and continue on as if it is non-existent. The gulf coast aquifers that they obtain their water supply from are not able to produce enough water fast enough to meet the increasing demands from the county's growing population. When the regulations cap on pumping is reached other sources have been sought out including lake Conroe. However, pumping from other sources requires tests to be ran to check for cleanliness and the safety of the water. When the water is coming from somewhere other than an aquifer tests have to be run and filtering processes have to begin, which can become very costly.…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Hydraulic Fracking Research Paper
    • 3245 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Hydraulic Fracking Research Paper

    will be, policy must be put in place to ensure the potential damage to local communities is…

    • 3245 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Climate Change in Victoria - Basics
    • 2940 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Climate Change in Victoria - Basics

    Victoria's water resources are likely to become increasingly vulnerable to climate change, due to projected drying trends over much of the state. At the same time, demand for water may grow as a result of increasing population, warmer temperatures and higher evaporation rates. These impacts could, however, be offset if we get more rain in summer.…

    • 2940 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Persuasive Essay On California Groundwater
    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Persuasive Essay On California Groundwater

    Do you want to save water and money on your water bill? Have enough for you and your family? As you know the United States is in a big problem with the drought. Well without water the farmers will have trouble planting the fruit and vegetables. Which means the food prices will go up and you will have to earn more money they you already have to get food to provide for you and your family. There are some ways so you can save water and money and lower your water bill so it is a 3 way win for you, which is regulate the groundwater.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Thylacine
    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Thylacine

    Australian Government Department of sustainability, environment, water, population and communities . (2011). Retrieved from http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=342…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Explain What It Means To Be An Australian Essay
    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Explain What It Means To Be An Australian Essay

    The environment is a very meaningful issue to all Australians. It affects pollution, climate change, and most importantly, the drought. The drought affects the Australian Agricultural industry dramatically as it relies heavily on the decreasing water supply. Many Australians are farmers, and they are suffering the effects of global warming. Australians must save every drop of water they can, and must endure strict water restrictions, especially during summer. The environmental issues in Australia are very grave,…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Canada's Water Situation
    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Canada's Water Situation

    Before any talks begin regarding the sale or sharing of Canada’s water takes place, Canada must take care of the water shortage going on within its borders first. According to Environment Canada, 11% of all water use in Canada is for municipalities, more than half of which is dedicated to residential areas. 74% of this is surface water while 26% is subsurface (Environ. Canada). Also according to Environment Canada, from 1994-2004, over 26% of municipalities reported supply problems. Groundwater sources have encountered more shortages and due to them being usually closed systems, areas have had to rely on deeper water sources, which typically contain harmful heavy metals (Macdonald, 2009). Canada’s surface water, an abundant supply, also faces serious problems. Lakes in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta have been retreating as early as the 20th century (Mittelstaedt, 2006). The same source predicts a likely mid-century return to the 1930’s-era “dust bowl” conditions. Along with supply shortages of water, Canada also has the problem of allowing every Canadian access to its water. With…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Water Depletion In California
    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Water Depletion In California

    California is in a drought and farmers believe our only option is to take water from under the ground. But, groundwater depletion is causing a lot of bad things to happen. It is making the layer of clay above collapse, when the clay collapses the dirt above gives way and sinks. This sinking causes sinkholes and is very dangerous. The sinking also damages pipes, buckles walls of irrigation canals, and cracks homes. Although the sinking is already a big enough threat the water in general could be dangerous. In some cases groundwater becomes contaminated, this occurs when man-made products like gasoline, oil, road salts, and chemicals get into the groundwater and cause it to become dangerous for us to use. The state of California can prevent groundwater depletion by harvesting stormwater, reusing water, and seawater desalination.…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Industrialization: Human and Industrial Development
    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Industrialization: Human and Industrial Development

    This investigation is find out if current human development does not change, will groundwater sustainability be affected. Based on the lab it looks like there will be a great impact to humans and our population as a result of groundwater.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    California Drought Essay
    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages

    California Drought Essay

    State water managers estimate that water tables in some parts of the Valley have dropped 100 feet below historical lows. As water levels sink, the land can sink, to” (Source 3). Farmers are drilling so much that it is ruining the integrity of California and it is putting an immense amount of stress on the San Andreas Fault line. “Groundwater is like a bank account. You can’t take out more than you put in on an ongoing basis” (Source 3). If you consume water at a faster rate than water can be absorbed back into the soil soon enough you will not be able to pump any water from any of the wells anymore.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Causes Of Drought In California
    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Causes Of Drought In California

    As a result of all the evidence, there should be regulations on aquifers because of the environmental impacts of everyone drilling wells, and people running out of water. The ground is being emptied of groundwater, making pressure on the San Andreas fault line. Also people are going days without water. Going days without flushing the toilet, taking a shower, and washing clothes or dishes. At the rate we are losing water, we need regulations to stop people from taking advantage of the…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Importance Of Drought In California
    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Importance Of Drought In California

    “It’s just amazing, the amount of people that call and want wells. A customer called this morning and I’m supposed to do two for him, and he said, ‘Add 14 to the list’” (Source 3). People are just taking as much water as they can before laws come out just so they can make money, it is a waste of water. This could be very bad because there already had low amounts of water to begin with, therefore wasting it is just going to make it…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    South-East Queensland Regional Plan, Sustainability
    • 1866 Words
    • 8 Pages

    South-East Queensland Regional Plan, Sustainability

    South East Queensland (SEQ) is experiencing a substantial growth in population and is expected to have an extra one million people by 2026. To deal with the growing population, a regional draft plan has been created (Mackenroth 2005). It includes strategies and objectives (table 1) in an effort to achieve a sustainable South East Queensland in 2026. The regional growth will put enormous pressures on the social, economic and environmental aspects of the region. South East Queensland will require an estimated 550,000 new dwellings and 425,000 new jobs, as well as better supporting infrastructure including services such as public transport, portable water to local parks and community facilities. The regional growth will have its negative effects on South East Queensland such as loss of vital open space, dwindling water supply and quality, insufficient supply of electricity, increase in traffic congestion and inadequate public transport. There are several economic tools and strategies that can be utilised to achieve some of the SEQ regional draft plan objectives (table 1), such as charge systems and financial instruments. With the introduction of economic tools and methods a sustainable South East Queensland can be achieved in 2026. (Mackenroth, 2005)…

    • 1866 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Natural Resource Management in Australia
    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Natural Resource Management in Australia

    Adhering to the recent scenarios in Australian natural resource industry, where there is certain lack of adequate human resources to deal with such gigantic capital projects recently the country is dealing with, we have proposed some alternative solutions that can be considered by the concerned authorities while resolving this particular issue:…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Proactive Approach to Corporate Water Strategy
    • 15524 Words
    • 63 Pages

    Proactive Approach to Corporate Water Strategy

    References: “Making Every Drop Count.” UN-FAO press release, February 14, 2007. Ibid. iii United Nations Development Programme. 2006. Human Development Report 2006. Referenced from http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/report.cfm. iv See, for example J. Morrison and P. Gleick. 2004. Freshwater Resources: Managing the Risks Facing the Private Sector. A Research Paper of the Pacific Institute, Oakland, California. (August 2004). Available at http://www.pacinst.org/reports/business_risks_of_water/business_risks_of_water.pdf v “Making Every Drop Count,” UN-FAO press release, February 14, 2007. vi UNEP Finance Initiative. Challenges of Water Scarcity: A Business Case for Financial Institutions. P. 9. vii Stein, B.A. 2001. A fragile cornucopia assessing the status of U.S. biodiversity. Environment 43: 11-22; Riccardi, A and J. Rasmussen. 1999. Extinction rates of North American freshwater fauna. Conservation Biology 13 (5). viii World Meteorological Organization and Stockholm Environment Institute. 1997. Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World. As cited in Earth Trends by the World Resources Institute. 2001. ix Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2007. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Available at http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM13apr07.pdf; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2007. Working Group I: The Physical Basis of Climate Change. Available at http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/wg1report.html; U.S. Global Change Research Program. 2000. Water: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change. Available at http://www.gcrio.org/NationalAssessment/water/water.pdf. x “Asia’s Water Security Under Threat.” UNEP press release, September 6, 2005. xi “Water Crisis Looms as Himalayan Glaciers Melt.” Reuters, September 9, 2005. xii The International Conference on Water and Environment, held in Dublin, Ireland in January 1992, included the following principle among the four so-called “Dublin Principles”: “Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognized as an economic good.” xiii United Nations General Comment 15, Economic and Social Council, Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, E/C.12/2002/11.…

    • 15524 Words
    • 63 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics